His Abilities Are Beyond Your Imagination

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21

When Paul wrote this letter to the church of Ephesus, the church had been dealing with various hardships and tumultuous situations. There were many instances where the church had become a value monetarily and not spiritually. The people in the church had become very ego-friendly and self worth driven. Everything in this church began to fall apart, every battle seemed to have been lost and the members who cling to the promises of God where slowly beginning to question their faith and focus on this spiritual journey. Through this background we can surely draw a parallel from the circumstances yesterday to our present standing. Church has become big business, the devil seems to have control over the pulpit and those who hold to their faith have begun to believe that the “church age” is over. Paul reasons with us today as to how we are to keep our composure through these frustrating times. The first thing we see is that we must remember that God can do exceeding and abundantly more than we can ever imagine.Paul says that God is able to exceeding above all we can ask or think… 

Paul is encouraging the believer at the church of Ephesus to remember what God they server… It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are or what people may be saying; God is able… It doesn’t matter what the doctor has told you, God is able… You may be at a low point in your life and Paul is saying that you can be lifted up! Even the best things that you can imagine happening in your life, Paul is saying that God can and will go above and beyond your greatest imaginations… In times of uncertainty we must pray, believing that God has the authority to change to situation, but more importantly that He is still in control of the situation regardless of what it looks like. When you feel confused, know that God isn’t and everything works together for His GOOD PLEASURE!  Secondly, we must remember that the abundant works that God does begin within us. Paul says there is a power that is at work in you… God is there when it seems He isn’t… He is walking right by your side and will always be your shield and buckler… The verse says that He does these things according to the power that worketh within us; we must remember that we have been given a free will, the ability to choose and set our own course. 

God surely can change things, but we must have the attitude and faith in the power of God. The scriptures declare that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. The mountain can always be moved, but God will wait for your mustard seed of faith to root within you first. The church age is not over, God is still alive, and He is simply waiting for us to realize that we have a way-maker in our corner; we have a sustainer who shed his blood on Calvary, and that we have been assured that as long as we are still competing for the prize, we will hit our mark! There may be situations that make one believe that the world is winning, the evil won has taken a step out front and the church is perishing, but Paul reminds us that the church will stand the test of time, the church will last throughout all ages; we can draw strength in this verse; knowing that we will stand the test of time, we will survive and we will be lifted up above all things!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Confessing Unlocks His Mercy

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Proverbs 28:13 

A hotel cannot provide a room to a customer if they are all occupied… Likewise, we cannot allow God into our hearts if the space is already taken… Covering sins doesn’t deal with them, but simply stores them away within causing us to carry around unnecessary burdens and prevent us from overcoming the trials or errors that we made… The proverb says, “He that covereth his sin shall not prosper…” When we try to cover our tracks or mistakes, we lead a life that allows our mistakes to controls us… We become captives to sin and the result of that is that we cannot prosper… To live, we must be freed from the bondage of sin which only comes through confession and belief in God… David recorded in Psalms 51, that a broken and contrite heart is a heart that God cannot turn from. Let’s face it, we all have made mistakes, we have gone to places we had no business going too, engaged in activities that still cause us to cringe at the thought and allowed the lust and sinful desires to win in different phases of our lives. Today’s Proverb deals with the confession aspect of Christian living. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, when you make a mistake in life, you have two choices; either you control it or it controls you! When you control a mistake, you openly confess to God and your peers of your wrong, therefore this incident doesn’t grow any legs to haunt you through life and cause unnecessary turmoil or chaos. If you allow the situation to control you, it becomes shackles that bind you to weaving a web of lives at the expense of your sanity and peace. 

When we lie, we have no choice but to continue down that spiral path which will ultimately lead us into a confined and guarded approach. You will walk on egg shells around people and force yourself into believing that everything is peaches and cream. When sin possesses you, God can’t prosper you! The sin must be dealt with, the sin must be confronted, and you must develop an attitude of righteousness. Notice that the passage says that “whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” To receive the manifold blessing of God, we must not only acknowledge our wrongs, but we must turn from them. So many of us pray to God for forgiveness of the same sin daily! God forgive me for smoking (while you pick up another cigarette), God forgive me of not educating my children about you (as you continue to put work before your household duties)! God forgive me for gossiping (while you tell all your new information), God forgive me for getting drunk (as you call your friend and tell him/her that you were to intoxicated to remember what happened last night), God forgive me for this and that (then in the very next moment you have reverted back to your old ways… These situations occur on a daily basis and we are praying to God, but not seeing the results that we expect. You have taken the first step in confessing; now practice your confession by abstaining from those situations! Of course it is not easy, of course it is not done overnight, but know and understand that until you take the necessary steps to better your life (prosper) God will not intervene! 

Again, the end of this proverb says, “But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy…”Mercy is withholding punishment to fulfill the need of that individual… God will show mercy toward you, but you must show wisdom from the experience that you have encountered. Once you confess you open the door to prosperity, but it is not until you forsake that path of life that you will obtain mercy… This road to living a life pleasing to God is accomplished in two phases; understanding the mistakes that you have made in life and learning from them so that you don’t continue down that same slippery slope… Today confess your sins unto Lord, tell Him about all the mistakes that you have made, free yourself from the burden of darkness and allow the healing that is needed to take place within your life… Stop allowing sin to control you, to hold you captive and oppress you and keep you from becoming the child that God has called you to be… Forsake the way of darkness so that God can provide the “lamp unto your fight and light unto your path…” God is indeed knocking at the door, if your spiritual life is likened to a hoarder; I hope that you can get through all the junk and answer the door before its too late…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Call On Him In Truth And He Will Answer

The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them.

Psalms 145:18-19

God is as close to you as you want Him to be… So many people question the existence of God or His authority as the creator of all things because of the turmoil and hardships they encounter; today’s focus verses remind us that we are created as free mortal beings, we have been given a free will to do as we please and it is because of this that we often times separate ourselves from the love and protection that id defined in the arms of Christ… Understanding how our minds flip flop so often throughout the course of a day, we can gain a understanding as to why the Psalmist states that “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him…” You have to make the choice to follow Christ, you have to decide which path you want to travel and when you make this decision you must stick too it… We cannot waver in our decision-making or desire to follow Christ and align ourselves with His will… James tells us that when we ask of God we must stand firm in our belief in order to obtain it; “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.” 

The same thing that we find in the book of James concerning the fact that a (n) individual coming before the Lord must be of a sound mind and faith in Christ to receive the petitions that He lays before the Lord are the same things that we see here from the Psalmist when he informs us that the Lord will be nigh but that He will be nigh “to all that call upon him in truth…” The psalmist starts this passage by declaring to us that God is always near those who call upon Him. This informs us that God is aware of the things you are enduring and the hardships that you face! He knows when you are smiling and when you are in tears, He knows when things are peaceful and when your life is filled with chaos… Notice the very next line though; He is near “to all who call on Him in truth…” So many of us call on the Lord out of necessity or fear, we call on Him when things seem beyond our own ability and this is not calling on Him in truth… To call in truth, is to call out of sincerity, calling on the Lord out of HIS sovereignty and might! The bible says, “The true worshipper will worship in spirit and in truth…” Often times we find ourselves calling on the Lord to do miraculous things and when He doesn’t answer on our timetable we take things into our own hands (this embodies the fact that we have not called on the Lord in truth), we begin to devise our own plan of attack and end up in more turmoil than before… Calling in truth is recognition of God’s place within your life, but also it is trusting God’s plan despite the path that you may have wanted to take… God told us in His holy word that, “My ways are not your ways, and my thoughts are not your thoughts…” So if you are going to call on the Lord in truth, don’t doubt when He takes you over the mountain instead of through the lilies… 

The book of James teaches us in the first chapter (6 & 7 verse) about how doubt will delay or deny our ability to receive of the Lord… “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”God is always near to you and when you have undivided faith in Him you will see just how close He really is; Paul said “my strength is made perfect in weakness…” When we have faith in God, the lowest of states that we find ourselves in is the highest of states that the Lord can work in your life, that’s why we must be a true worshipper and trust Him always. The psalmist says, “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him…” God will answer when you give Him the respect that He is due… He will lift you up when He is lifted up (if I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me)… If you fear God, you respect His authority, you acknowledge His power and you give Him priority in and over your life… Despite what storms come my way, despite what obstacles I encounter, despite what pit I have fallen into, I believe that God hears my faintest cry, I believe that He will never put more on me than I can bare, I believe that in my reverence for Him, He will fulfill the desires I have and save me… This is why I call on Him; why do you?

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be A Living Sacrifice

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:1

Today, in Paul’s letter to the Church of Rome we find the gift that we are called to give daily unto the Lord… As a child of the most high we are directed to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord…In this dying world we are to be examples of God’s faithfulness, love and compassion… Notice Paul says “a living sacrifice”, we are not called to be mute (dead) in this perishing world as many are right now, but we are to be witnesses to the grace of God… Paul starts this verse off by saying, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God…” and ends by saying, “which is your reasonable service…” Mercy is forgiveness, sympathy, kindness and compassion toward another; when you take time to think about your life, I am pretty sure that it is filled with God’s mercy… Paul is saying that we should be willing without thought to be a living sacrifice to the Lord because He has been a willing sacrifice unto us… 

His mercy is what Paul pleads through today, the mercy of God is what sustains you and keeps you from your proper punishment… The mercy of God is what has given you life and life more abundantly... God not only sent His son, but He has given us His spirit to lead, guide and direct our paths… To beseech is to beg, ask or request… Paul is requesting for us to look at our lives today and notice how much mercy God has bestowed; when you take that into account he asks that we give our lives back to Him… The fact that you have the ability to wake up in the morning, the fact that you are clothed in your right mind, the fact that you have a roof over your head, clothes on your back and a job to go to is fruit of God’s mercy…Think about where we would stand if we actually suffered the full blunt of the consequences of our actions; some of us would be a complete mess, some would be a lost cause and some would not even have warm blood flowing within their veins… Day after day, God has shown mercy unto His creation, Jeremiah said it best, “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22, 23). It is by the Lords hand that you live; it is by the Lord’s faithfulness that hell doesn’t have to be your home; it is by His compassion that you are even able to read this email… Don’t take God’s mercy for granted, to belittle all that He has done and continues to do in your life, don’t allow your circumstances to overshadow the path that God has already paved up to this point and will pave in your future… When you think about what God has already done, you realize how reasonable this request is that Paul is making today… Our desire as a child of God is to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord, holy and acceptable… Notice we talk about a living sacrifice, usually when something is sacrificed it is killed, but Paul says that we are to live… 

This speaks directly to killing the desires of the flesh so that we can live according to the will of God… This is not something that happens over night, this is something that is produced over time and must be done daily… To be holy is to be pure, we are to strive to avoid situations that will cause us to be imperfect, this could be a bad habit you engage in, a relationship that kills your spiritual growth or even words that you speak in vain thoughts… Paul understood this all to well, he labeled himself as the “chief sinner” and realized the path that he was on which was leading to hell… Paul understood that Christ lifted him out of the miry clay and gave him a chance to inherit Eternal Life… Paul went on (after his Damascus road experience) to expresses his love and gratitude toward the Lord by presenting his body as a living sacrifice… Paul wrote to the church of Philippi about sacrifice when he said, “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ…” He told Timothy,“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” He realized that God has all power in the palm of His hand and that His love has saved us from sin; when we realize this great mercy, we will understand that sacrificing our desires to live for the Lord truly is a “reasonable service…” 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

God Wants You Back

"That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,  In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life."

Luke 1:74-75

Make no mistake about it, though you face trials and tribulations and deal with hardships, the desire of God is for you to be reunited with Him… Luke records today, verses that echo this same sentiment… It is by God’s grace that you and I have been delivered out of the hand of enemy… As we walk through this life we need not only take note of God’s grace as far as being alive, but we also need to understand that things could always be worse… Luke is clear that we have been delivered out of the hand of the enemy… Whether your realize it or not, if the enemy had his way with you only God knows where you would be… The fact that you can overcome, the fact that you are able to stand, the fact that you have just enough is a testament to God’s goodness and His grace that has kept you and will continue to keep you all the days of your life… Notice the intent behind God’s grace that delivered you, Luke says that He did this so that we, “…might serve him without fear…” There are two different kinds of fear, we are called to fear God and keep His commandments; however, the fear that is spoken of in the gospel of Luke is a fear that leads one to second-guess and allow lordship over them. 

When we fear God we respect and honor Him, when we fear the enemy we are intimidated, scared and controlled by him. Satan desires for you to fear him because fear can be a device used to control and manipulate a (n) individual or situation. If I fear someone, I am more gullible to do whatever it is that they ask of me; however if I fear the Lord, I want to bring honor to Him by living a life that pleases Him and shines His beacon light upon the lives and hearts of others… In realizing how much God has done and is doing for us, we should be led to follow Him even more; however this task is one that is easier said than done. One of the biggest mistakes we make in reaching out to new disciples is the mistake of allowing them to believe that when they accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior that they have completed what God desired… In accepting Christ you accept His offering, but we learn today that we also accept the desires of God for our very lives as to how we should live… Luke says in the first verse what we echo to new disciples, God has delivered you, He has picked you up and turned you around and He has shown His love toward you without you even loving back, but His desire is more than just that, the next verse says,“…In holiness and righteousness before him…” 

Giving your life to Christ isn’t a one and done thing, this is something we do daily and it requires us to sacrifice the desires of sin and flesh that we are born with… Isn’t it interesting how you don’t have to teach a child to do bad but you have to work all the time teaching them good… God’s teaching us today that holiness and righteousness can only be achieved through the model set before us (Jesus Christ) and the willingness to work at it according to His will… Luke teaches us why God saved us today and what He desires, he concludes by telling us how long God wants this to be “…all the days of our life…” It never ceases to amaze me how we can vary in our walk with God from day to day, but never take notice that He hasn’t done that with us… God’s love has covered all our sins, His love placed His son on the cross and gave us a (n) avenue back to Him… He wants to see your life enriched, He wants to see you live justly; He wants to see you prosper in His word and it isn’t just for a day… I once read that the love of God is like the ocean, you know its beginning but never see its end… The beginning for you was when He delivered you from the enemy, you will never see a (n) end to His grace, goodness, faithfulness and mercy as long as you allow Him to direct your steps…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Sober & Vigilant

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." 

1 Peter 5:8-9

Making the decision to follow Christ doesn’t mean that your life will be an easy road from that point forward. As a matter of fact, when you choice to follow Christ you should come to understand that the battles in your life will only intensify… The sooner we grasp this important fact the more clearer these words penned in today’s focus verses will become to us. Even in the protective arms of Jesus we are reminded today that we must “Be sober, be vigilant…” You have to stay on guard as a child of God… The minute you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior is the same minute that the enemy ramps up His attack towards you. The problem in the lives of many Christians isn’t that they are confused as to their calling but that they have become unaware of their surroundings… We accept Christ as our Savior and forget that the sin we lived in before knowing Him still exist and will try to serve as a stumbling block or hindrance in our advancement in the ministry that He has for us… 

The fact that Peter calls the devil a “roaring lion” should shine light on the fact that he isn’t as hard to spot as we try to portray him to be… In reviewing the history and makeup of the lion I came across some very interesting facts regarding this animal as it relates to his roar. The first thing is that the roar of a lion can be a sign of territorial dominance; this means that the lion is staking his claim to the area his paws land. The second type of roar found with lions deals with his food. A lion will roar to intimidate or scare off other predators while he enjoys his meal… Each roar of the lion lays claim to something in one way or another… The message that we must obtain today is that the enemy is laying claim to certain things and/or aspects of your life. When you go against the grain and dare to upset the status quo he will roar “seeking whom he may devour…” You are guaranteed to go through trials and tribulations; you are assured to deal with hardships and obstacles and you are called not to pray for their removal but for a sober and vigilant mind so that you can overcome and be victorious… So many of us fall and become victim to the enemy because we are praying for the wrong things and seeking the wrong answers… As a child of God pray for a (n) understanding mind and spirit so that you can realize the storm that you are facing and are going to face to prepare for it. This is the way we defeat the attack of the enemy before he even begins his invasion; this is how we turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones and reach the heights that God has designed for us… 

Every man or woman, boy or girl will go through times of adversity. Your trial may seem bigger than my trial but we all go through trials none the less… The difference isn’t the trials that we face necessarily but the spirit with which we are under as we face them… This very reason is why Peter goes on to say, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." This race we are running isn’t won by the fastest person but the one who can remain steadfast. You must hold to God’s unchanging hand, you must trust that His way is not only the right way but that it’s the ONLY way… Sure you will have days where the enemy appears to be winning, you will have days when times may appear too hard to handle and you want to give up; however, you are called to look through your problems with the eye of Christ. You are called to be sober in your thinking because the enemy wants you to throw in the towel while God is preparing you through the storm to take you to another level. There are so many things in this world that if we are not careful will lead us astray from our calling. This is why we are reminded today to be sober and vigilant. God has great things in store for your life and the enemy doesn’t want you to believe that. I believe Paul said it best in his letter to the church of Philippi, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Things Could Always Be Worse

"Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you."

 

1 Samuel 12:24

 

Your only duty on this earth is to “fear the Lord…” When you fear (honor, revere or admonish) the Lord your life is lived in total submission to Him… This means that you walk according to His will and are not focused on things of this world… This passage provides great advice for us to live by; we are called to “serve him in truth” knowing that He knows best but also bring into remembrance all the things that He has done and the paths that He has paved… We have to have an attitude that reflects on what God has done and dispel the notion of living with the mindset of “what have you done for me lately…” According to worldly standards and ways of living we must approach life seeking our own way and desires; however we are reminded today that we serve  a faithful God; one who already demonstrated His might by sending His son and one who has promised to supply all our needs… Don’t lose sight of the fact that as children of God we often want things to happen according to our desires and standards… 

When we are faced with opposition we question or blame God; however, when things are working in our favor we find a way to place confidence in ourselves or mankind… Just like the Israelites we need to be reminded to “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart…” The only thing that we should fear (revere, respect, and pay honor too) is the Lord… The Israelites (having been lead from bondage) desired a king to rule over them… Samuel reminds them today that they already had a king in the Lord and that they must Only fear him… As the story continues we see that Saul a man of physical gifts (well-built, handsome) was selected to be king and after thirty years was rejected due to disobedience… No matter who is placed in positions of authority, if they do not align themselves with the will of God they will fail… Likewise, we acknowledge the people in positions above us, but we are called to fear God and follow His will… Today let us make sure that our fear is in the Lord and not the economy… Let us make sure that we revere the Lord and are not worried about how we are going to pay this or that bill… We fear the Lord because of the things that He has done and will do, we fear the Lord because He is God and beside Him there is no other and we fear the Lord because all power resides within the palm of His hand… Samuel tells us today to “…consider how great things he hath done for you…” 

One of my close friends once told me that He didn’t like the rain, but that he appreciates the fact that he can observe it without getting wet… Today, make no mistake about it, the rain is falling all over the world, tsunamis, earthquakes and various other disasters… Wars in Gaza, the Ivory Coast and other countries; however, you are just observing them without getting wet… Psalms 91 was that a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you if you make the Lord your dwelling place… Today fear the Lord (make Him your dwelling place)… Think about where He has already brought you from and if will give you enough energy to keep on going… Just take a moment to think about all the hardships you have faced and then think about how you have made it through… 

I am sure that there have been days when your finances didn’t add up, your money was funny and your change was strange; however, you still were able to cut that check or make that payment… God is above all and knows all… Fear Him, revere Him and stay focused on Him… The bible says in Matthew 16:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In seeking God we fear Him and allow His will to be done! God will never fail you, He will never forsake you and He has already done marvelous things for you… “consider how great things” are in your life as well as the fact that things could always be worst. I am sure that there is someone on this earth that would love the opportunity to switch places with you and walk in your shoes… Don’t take for granted where are today, because you could be somewhere else…

 

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Be Thankful For His Mercy

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

Psalm 130:3-4

Have you ever taken time out of your day to think about where you would be if God had not shown mercy toward you? We are called to take note today that if God really marked our iniquity (wickedness, evil, crime, sin) we would not be here nor would we be able to obtain Eternal Life… The psalmist reminds us today to simply reflect upon our lives and the mistakes that we have made (even the ones that we made just a second ago or last night) and take time to thank God for His mercy… If we are truthful with ourselves, we know that there are a lot of things that we desire in this life that would cause us to divert from the very path of God and lead us down a path of evil… Something as simple as a desire to have more can lead us to love material things which the bible tells us is the root of all evil… 

The first verse says, “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Let us take some time to ponder that, these verse place priority in our lives by reminding us that we are filthy rags that don’t deserve the Love of God to shine upon us… If we look over our lives we will soon realize that we are not worthy to be counted in the number of God, we will realize that our name should not appear in the Lambs book of Life, we will understand that hell should be our eternal resting home… See, often times we try to paint this silhouette of holiness and perfection, but the bible tells us “that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory…” It doesn’t matter what kind of picture you paint, or how fake you act, the bottom line is that if God were to judge us according to our living, we all would be joined together in the pits of darkness… 

This opening verse should cause you to take a humble approach to life; it should make you want to take a backseat to society instead of trying to poke your chest out as if you’re the best thing on this earth… This opening statement in this verse should remind you that it is by God’s grace and mercy that you are able to even be in the land of the living today… Simply imagine what would happen if God exposed all the dark corners of your life, think about the perception that people would have, where you would be if people knew the real you… Somebody ought to be thanking God right now for His mercy, withholding the judgment, punishment and anguish that we truly should have felt… 

There is none on earth who can stand before God and give a (n) account worthy to hear Him say “well done”and it is of the utmost importance that we realize that and revere God for His love… The next portion of scripture says, “…But there is forgiveness with thee…” Today is good Friday, this is the day in which Christ laid down His life for us all, it’s the day He bore the iniquity of us all and gave us a chance to make things right… We are forgiven through His nail scarred hands, we received a clean slate through the blood that flowed from His side and it is because of the words “it is finished…” that you can I are not judge according to the errors of our ways… The psalmist acknowledges that he is not worthy of God’s blessings, he understands that he isn’t worthy to simply be alive and because of that he informs us as to why we should revere the Lord… 

The last piece says, “that thou mayest be feared…” God desires you to exalt His name, He desires to be glorified by your living and have you adore Him… He has blotted out your transgressions that you may have another chance, He remembers your sins no more that you may be molded into the disciple that He has called you to be… His forgiveness was poured out on all mankind so that Eternal Life could be possible and we could establish a relationship with him… Often times we look at fear in the since of terror or dread, but when the psalmist talks about fear He is speaking to a respect, reverence and acknowledgment… God picked you up out of the miry clay; He placed your feet on solid ground and has given you a clean slate… We fear God because of His love, we revere God because of His forgiveness, and we acknowledge the fact that if it were not for His mercy we would not be able to stand… God desires your honor because He didn’t let you die in your We can’t stand without Him, but we surely can conquer anything with Him…  

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

You're In Good Hands With Jesus

"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

John 10:28-30

Your future is not tomorrow in the eyesight of God; your future is the place where you will spend eternity… This is important for us to understand because often times we expect things to happen in our immediate future, all of our good deeds appear to go unnoticed, our faith seems to be ineffective and we find ourselves wondering if we really are walking in the right direction. Jesus teaches us today that the true gift for our walk will be manifest in hearing God say, “well done thou good and faithful servant…” Today’s scriptures remind us of the assured deliverance that a person obtains when he or she has accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior… Again, Jesus says, “I give them eternal life…”As a child of God we are under the grace that He dispensed through His son on the cross… It is because of His grace that we shall not perish. When we read this scripture it reminds us that we have not nor can we obtain anything in this life or grasp anything spiritually if Jesus is not the center focus within us…

 Jesus is clarifying some things for us today, the bible says, “It is not by any works of your hands lest you should boast…” Be careful to remember that Jesus has made every day of your life possible, know that He touched you this morning, clothed you in your right mind and started you on your way… Not only that, but let us remember that Eternal Life is only possible through Him… When we realize that Christ has made everything possible, we than see the promise of God revealed when Jesus says, “they shall never perish…” Notice that we must first understand or accept who has given Eternal Life in order that we shall not perish… To perish means to die, expire, depart, or take your last breathe! What Jesus is saying is that we shall find victory and deliverance in all that we encounter; there will be nothing that will stop us from obtaining the promises of God once we have aligned ourselves with His will… Jesus says that you will not die, but don’t let us get that confessed with hardships… You will indeed have some tough days ahead, you will suffer some persecutions in this lifetime, you will be cast down and rejected sometimes, and the key is that you will not perish… Everything that you face in this life will not be your end (I believe that we should praise God right now for that…) We all have made mistakes in life, we all have chased after vain things and found ourselves in perilous times; today we are reminded that as a child of God we shall not perish. Jesus says, “no one can snatch them out of my hand… My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all…” 

The devil will surely test you, he will tempt you everyday of your life and what Jesus is saying is that as long as you keep your faith in Him, as long as you trust in Him and lean not to your own understanding you will be delivered… It doesn’t matter what storms you face, it doesn’t matter what obstacles come your way, because God is “greater than all…” God is greater than the trial that you face right now, God is greater than the addiction that has plagued your family, and God is greater than the snare that has caught your loved one… All power resides within our father; Jesus was tempted by the devil and defeated him on the mountain top… He laid down His life on the cross and God raised Him up from the dead… You will not perish today; lay down your life in faith, knowing that God will raise you up in victory… 

Jesus and God are one; the same way Jesus was delivered up from the earth is the same way we will be delivered up from the earth… Hold fast to God’s unchanging hand, no that the devil will try, but he will not win… Continue to focus your life on the will of God, don’t get caught up in the ways of this world and remember that even when things don’t seem to be going your way, even when it feels like your house is falling apart, even when you feel like throwing in the towel, God has promised you that you will not perish… Paul said it best in Romans 8:38, 39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Sow Your Tears; Joy Is Coming

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:5-6

The verses taken from this psalm reminds us today of the true strain a Christian must go through to live according to the will of God… This road isn’t a (n) easy road to travel nor is it something that we can just take up and conquer without much effort… When you accept Jesus Christ has your personal Lord and Savior you are already battling the desires to live a life of sin; however, this fight only intensifies and leads the writer to inform you that you will “sow in tears…” The bottom line is that this course of life isn’t for the weak at heart; this excursion was never promised to be easy and will in fact test your faith and resolve. In living a life pleasing to God, we must do a 180 degree turn from what we are accustom to doing naturally… The things that come naturally are the things that we must cut off, so we can definitely understand the thought in this passage that informs us that this journey will not be smooth… There will be days in your life where you want to give up, there will be times when you feel like all hope in gone, there will be moments when you feel the weight of your changes and desire to revert back to the easy path of life… 

The verse starts off by saying, “they that sow in tears shall reap in joy…” The psalmist is speaking to us today to let us know that you are assured to cry sometimes, you are assured to be down sometimes, you are assured to feel weak sometimes, but you must ignite your faith in your weakest moment, you must ignite your faith when everyone has turned on you and know that you will indeed reap joy or the benefits of your labor… God says that when we labor in the Lord we will not labor in vain… Understand that as long as you are committed to adhering to the will of God, as long as you are committed to following Him, none of your labor will be in vain… He will hear your cry, He will answer and He will deliver on HIS TIME… We all have heard that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the mourning… The question I pose to you, is do you believe that? Do you believe that tears of sorrow eventually turn to tears of joy; do you trust that bitterness becomes sweet and you will come through the fire purified? 

These are the questions that a child of God affirmatively answers YES too. The psalmist reminds us that we will sow in tears, to sow means to plant, spread, or scatter. This tells me that God knows and is forewarning us that there will be times where we simply will have to trust Him, there will be days that don’t make sense and there will be periods in you lives that don’t add up. When you plant a seed it doesn’t sprout immediately, planting is a testament to your faith… Planting seeds in tears means that we will plant in the worse of times and will not see the results immediately… Some of the seeds we plant are through the lose of a job, the dividing of our house and the pains of life… Through these things we plant seeds by believing in God’s way, having faith the size of a mustard seed and holding on to His unchanging hand… Remember that you are the seed of Abraham and just like a seed in the traditional since, you must be nurtured watered and molded. 

There are a lot of elements that play into the growth of a seed. Everything that you face in life, everything that you are subjected to and everything that you go through are the tears (water) and pain (nurturing) that is need for your growth to blossom into the radiant creature that God designed you to be… Even in the darkness hours of our lives, we must continue to sow the seed of God in our living... That’s done by not complaining, that’s done by praising and adoring His holy name no matter what storms come your way… It is in this time that you must continue to sow, even when tears flow like a river or stream, you must continue to plant the seeds of righteousness, plant the seeds of humility, plant the seeds of faith. This next piece in this passage says, “that he the goes forth and weeps, bearing precious seed shall come again rejoicing with his sheaves.” When you sow a seed through the hard times and agonizing season of life that seed is precious… It produces more faith when it sprouts and you appreciate it more because of the labor and work that you put into it…Everything that God has for you is for you! Joy comes in the morning and we shall reap a harvest if we faint not…

Weep, plant, believe and conquer…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Acts Of Love Display Christ

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:12-13

Love is not something you choose to do and make apart of your life as a Christian. You are commanded to walk in Love as a child of God for God is Love… 1 John 4:8 says,“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” The law was put before us and no man has ever kept it, Jesus came to this earth to fulfill the law that we could not and to pave the way back to God… Through Christ we were taken from the state of sin into our current state which is grace… Under grace Christ gives us a new commandment to abide by and this commandment is “love…” The bible says that love covers a multitude of sins and love (1 Corinthians 13) is better than anything we have in life… “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Jesus informs us today of the foundational commandment that we must live by as a child of God… He says, “That ye love one another, as I have loved you…” Love is the building block of our salvation, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…” If it was not for love, God would not have sent His son, if it wasn’t for love, Jesus wouldn’t have died on the cross… Love is more than just speaking words; true love is the ability to act for the greater good of another despite the pain, torment or agony that you may encounter… It would not have been enough if Jesus would have simply said I love mankind (just as we do today), but didn’t act toward showing it… Jesus demonstrated His love when He allowed Himself to be beat, when He stayed on the cross and gave up the ghost… 

Let us stop speaking words of love, but demonstrate our love toward each other through our actions… Love has to be the center focus of our life because the bible says that “God is love…” 1 Corinthians 13 provides a list of things that are meaningless or unprofitable to a man without love and we see today that Jesus reminds us that we must have love one to another if we desire to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord… As a child of God we are held to a higher standard, we are not only to love, but Jesus says we are to love as He loved us… To love as Christ loved means that we must be willing to sacrifice, we must be willing to look beyond faults and we must be willing to love unconditionally. A lot of times we tend to love people that love us back, but the bible says “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…” We are being called to love more than just our family member and people we get along with, we are to love every person we come in contact with, we are to extend a kind hand to our enemies and speak words of comfort to our adversaries… Often times we will speak the words “I love you,” but never demonstrate our feelings to showcase what we have spoken… Jesus tells us in these verses that the greatest love of all is the ability to sacrifice one’s life for his friends… Jesus is speaking directly to the death that He will endure, but notice that He says, “His friends…” Jesus is not drawing a distinction between who He is dying for, but rather informing us that He considers everyone on this earth His friends… Remember when He was praying in the Garden and the mob came to take Him away, all His disciples fled; when Jesus was on the cross, John was the only disciple remaining by His side, yet Jesus said, “That a man lay down his life for his friends…” 

Understand that the love of Christ means that we go above and beyond; we go out of our way and sacrifice for others… We demonstrate love toward the one that doesn’t know how to love, we show love to the one who can’t show it back and we lift each other instead of tearing one another down… Realizing that Christ is the only one that could die for all mankind; we are being asked to be able to sacrifice our desires and seek the exaltation of God’s kingdom through our life… To sacrifice and demonstrate our love on this earth, let us focus on lifting up one another, let us refuse to engage in gossip, let us exercise humility and compassion and focus on lifting God daily… Love is an action word, in order for it to be felt something must be done! Jesus said I love you and then died on the cross… Let us speak the words of love to each other and follow them up with actions… Show your neighbor love today and you will demonstrate the love of Christ that resides within you…

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!